As one of the smallest forces in the country tried to get to grips with one of the most complex inquiries it has ever had to handle, questions were being asked in the county about whether it was equipped for such a major incident.

Scores of officers were deployed along the Cumbrian coast on Wednesday in pursuit of Derrick Bird as he killed and maimed people during a three-hour rampage before turning one of his guns on himself.

But despite having helicopters in the air and help from neighbouring forces, senior officers refused to say if armed police got close enough to challenge Bird or if they ever knew exactly where he was as he drove around.